Stormers centre Juan de Jongh has not recovered sufficiently from a jaw injury and will miss Saturday’s game against the Hurricanes.

De Jongh took a knock to the jaw in the Stormers’ second pre-season game and hasn’t featured for the Cape franchise since. The coaching staff has confirmed that the Bok centre has yet to take contact, and so won’t be risked in the first Super Rugby game of the season.

While De Jongh will definitely sit out the coming fixture, he will be reassessed on Monday to determine his availability for the next match against the Sharks. Bryan Habana, who started at No 13 against the Kings last week, is now the favourite to join Jean de Villiers in the midfield for the clash against the Hurricanes.

Meanwhile, lock Rynhardt Elstadt has made good progress in his recovery from an ankle injury and could be ready for the match. A final call on his availability will be made on Wednesday, and the Stormers coaches are optimistic that the enforcer will pass the fitness test.

The good news for the Stormers is that first-choice scrumhalf Dewaldt Duvenage and loose forward Nick Koster are injury-free and will feature in a starting capacity this weekend.